New Grads Seek More than Salary… Be More Savvy about Online Privacy… Yes, You Must Answer E-mails

Although 2019 college graduates are earning only slightly more than their 2018 counterparts (and 20% more than those graduating in 2009), they’re not displeased about their pay. Why? Because they want something from a job that money just can’t buy—purpose.

Millennials and Gen Z want to make a difference as much as make a living, so an employer’s culture and the opportunity to grow and learn can supersede salary demands, says a college recruiter from Korn Ferry, a management consultant firm that conducted an analysis of 300,000 entry-level jobs.

Ally Van Duren of Korn Ferry says younger workers prefer a workplace that fosters collaboration with peers across various segments of an organization. She also says that many believe employers should provide them with special training and mentoring on the job.

For the younger generations entering or already in the workforce and who prefer to enjoy the people they work with and the work itself, salary is simply secondary.

Research from the Society for Human Resource Management indicates that nearly half of all organizations use social media or online searches to screen candidates as well as to check up on current employees. What’s more, those searches lead to negative consequences all too often.

These five social media privacy suggestions can help workers and job seekers alike display themselves at their best.

Educate yourself about an employer’s privacy policies. The onus is on potential and current employees to learn about a company’s policies.

Omit coworkers and superiors on private social media. Create a professional social media account; save personal accounts for trusted friends only.

Assume all internet activity on public wi-fi is hackable. Take measures to ensure privacy. Avoid “free” VPN or PPTP protocol.

Remove questionable material posted in the past. Employers don’t care if it happened two minutes or two years ago—they don’t want to see employees in compromising situations.

Pay attention to privacy settings.Always adjust default settings to reveal only information appropriate for the world to see.

It’s digital snobbery to leave e-mails unanswered, just like not meeting the eyes of an acquaintance when seeing him in a hall, says organizational psychologist Dr. Adam Grant.

Grant, writing in The New York Times, says ignoring messages is code for “this e-mail isn’t important to me now.” Research is showing that managers slow to deal with e-mails are less effective because they are perceived as lacking conscientiousness.

Some caveats apply. Recipients of e-mails from strangers asking favors should not feel compelled to respond, Grant says. Nor should employees feel they must answer e-mails after work hours or weekends.